Preparing for your appointment

You're likely to start by taking your child to a family doctor or pediatrician. Depending on the results of the initial evaluation, your doctor may refer you to a specialist, such as a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist or pediatric neurologist.

What you can do

To prepare for your child's appointment:

Make a list of any symptoms and difficulties your child has at home or at school.

Prepare key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.

Make a list of all medications, vitamins, herbs or other supplements that your child is taking, and the doses.

Bring any past evaluations and results of formal testing, if you have them, and school report cards.

Make a list of questions to ask your child's doctor.

Some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

Other than ADHD, what are possible causes for my child's symptoms?

What kinds of tests does my child need?

What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?

What are the alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?

My child has other health problems. How can I best manage these conditions together?

Should my child see a specialist?

Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing for my child?

What types of side effects can we expect from the medication?

Are there any printed materials that I can have? What websites do you recommend?

Vande Voort JL, et al. Impact of the DSM-5 attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder age-of-onset criterion in the US adolescent population. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2014;53:736.

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